4 6 S U P P L E M E N T T O
Widespread pain
The first victim of a retained-item
event, obviously, is the patient, but
nurses and other providers can also
be traumatized. They become what's
referred to in the literature as "sec-
ond victims."
I saw the intense emotion in the
faces of the nurses who'd seen these
events, and heard it in their words
— "gutted," "wrecked," "shame,"
"horrified" and "failure." They were
devastated, and they were knocked
back on their heels.
Some even became sympathetic
second victims. One nurse said
she'd assisted in a surgery in which
it wasn't entirely clear what was
wrong with the patient. When they
found and removed a retained lap
sponge from a previous surgery at
another facility, it was devastating,
she said. She actually felt deeply for
the nurse who'd been involved in
the original case.
Surgeons can also be second vic-
tims, and one of ours became an
important champion in our effort.
He shared how he felt when a
retained item happened to him, and
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